LOAD YOUR BOW - ARROWS TO THE POSTSEASON

Last year officially gets labelled a "blip." With an emphatic 10-0 rout of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at home, the Shizuoka Arrows have punched their ticket into the postseason for the first time in three seasons with a 77-66 record (13-10 in September).

Even better - they will host the Pacific League Climax Series First Stage against the Orix Buffaloes thanks to that win and an Orix loss. The Arrows went 10-7 against the Buffaloes in the regular season, and look to take that momentum into the postseason.

Game 1: Orix 6, Shizuoka 0
Welcome to the postseason, Shigejiro Matsumoto. The Arrows' ace was rimrocked to the rune of 6 earned runs on 9 hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings, striking out 9. The opposing starter, Yasuo Iizuka, threw a 3-hitter complete game shutout, striking out 13 Arrows along the way. Every Shizuoka batter struck out at least once.

Game 2: Orix 5, Shizuoka 0
Another game, another complete game shutout from a Buffaloes starter. Yoshiaki Shimizu allowed 6 hits and 2 walks over all nine innings, striking out 6 Arrows. Arrows starter Yoshimitsu Ota yielded 4 runs on 2 two-run shots, and the Arrows offense again went quiet.

Well, that was disappointing. Still, considering where we were last year, I'm not too fussed. We're a team on the upswing, and this was a valuable lesson.

2035 Season Review

The rebuild isn't quite over yet - our bullpen was capital-A Atrocious this year. Having two of our best arms posted to MLB didn't help! At least the rotation looks strong.

And speaking of strong - Morioka! What a revelation. Having Tanaka turn in a good season helps too. With Uchino and Kato both having bounce-back seasons, at least my big free agent deals didn't backfire.

This offseason, the goal is find a way to generate more offense, maybe another reliever or two for the back-end, and see if we can't get Alejandrez into the field more often. Even better, get a proper DH.

2035-26 Offseason

Awards Season
* Catcher Yasutoki Kato and left fielder Shigejiro Matsunaga repeat their Golden Glove awards. It's the seventh straight for Kato!
* For the first time in a few years, some Shizuoka Arrows were named to the Best Nine team! First baseman Tomosaburo Morioka, second baseman Soji Sakata, and center fielder Yukiichi Tsuchiya were all given the appropriate nods.
* Morioka also took home the Rookie of the Year award with 13 first-place votes! Who got the other three? Teammate and starting pitcher Alex Gallardo!
* Arrows starter Shigejiro Matsumoto won the Eiji Sawamura award for the PL! 300 strikeouts in 186 2/3 IP will do that, the 3.18 ERA and .189 oAVG help. Yoshimitsu Ota finished third, and Alex Gallardo 4th.
* Morioka, Matsumoto, Tsuchiya, Gallardo, Ota, and Sakata all earned MVP votes, but none in the top 5. Lions LF Shigeo Tanigawa and his 50 HRs won the award for the 3rd straight year.

Arbitration and Free Agency
* Heartbreak abounds - LHP Kikuo Aoki is leaving Shizuoka. The Arrows sent him and 1B Mamoru Fujimori to the Hiroshima Carp for Masuho Aoyama, who's expected to be the team's new DH.
* Also heading out are RHP Akira Yamane and 1B Katzumi Watanabe to the Niigata Komatsu Bears, with RHP Osami Higashi as the return.
* 2B Satoshi Onishi and 3B Tetsuo Numata are bound for the Hanshin Tigers, with C Goro Arakaki coming back the other way.
* Continuing the exodus, RHP Enmanuel Mejia and RF Makio Komatsu have been traded to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for 1B Asakichi Kawada. This means that Alex Gallardo is the official, sole captain.
* Arbitration has been declined with RHP Atsushi Kameda, 1B Kunihiro Torigoe, and LF Kouchi Nakaoka.
* Only one arbitration case for the Arrows this year - newly-acquired 1B Masuho Aoyama receiving a 1.38M award.
* Heading to free agency are 2B Soji Sakata and SS Tomoaki Sakurai.
* The Shizuoka Arrows' lone addition before the winter meetings was RHP Amane Koga, who put up a 9-7 record in 19 starts for the Fighters. He's signed for 1yr/300K, and fits the team's groundballer philosophy well.

2035 First-Year Draft
Drafting 11th this year.
1. Hiromitsu Nishi, left-handed starter with a finesse profile and three ML-ready pitches.
2. Masashi Koide, college RF with a low K rate and potentially dominant contact.
3. Shojiro Murakami, high school CF with a balanced bat and eye, and great outfielding capabilities
4. Takeshi Kaneshige, slick-fielding college 2B with a balanced bat and good base speed
5. Akikazu Kato, rightie closer from high school. Lottery ticket, but if his control develops, could be a solid piece.
6. Mitsuo Saiki, an intriguing leftie OF/RP two-way player from college. Same issue as above.
7. Masahisa Mori, the usual high-ability catcher.
8. Seisaburo Maeda, defense-first switch-hitting 3B. Possible high-OBP guy.
9. Sukeaki Yamaguchi, pluggish shortstop (I'm short on SS guys)
10. Ryuichi Shimizu, a real three-true-outcomes DH/RF guy.

Winter Meetings and Onward
* The Shizuoka Arrows announced minor renovations at Nagano Olympic Stadium and Hamamatsu Baseball Stadium, adjusting the fences to match the dimensions at Ito En Park.
* On Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, another Arrow-bomb of a trade. LHP Yoshimitsu Ota, former Sawamura Award winner and pending free agent, was traded to the Okinawa Kirin Spirit (whose pitching staff had been decimated by injuries) for 3B Koji Kashima (25% retained). The leadership, skilled bat, and strong defense are exactly what the Arrows need at the hot corner, and give them a chance to call up another prospect from Shinano for the rotation.
* In a separate deal, the Hiroshima Carp added LHP Masahiko Maruyama and SS Yoshizo Masuda from the Shizuoka Arrows for SS Yui Nakamura (40% retained). The three-time Gold Glover will now make his roost in a defense-heavy infield with Keiichi Sugiyama moving from 3B to 2B.
* Finally, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles acquired 3B GG Yuasa from the Arrows for minor-league LHP Micah Bline.
* After the winter meetings, the Shizuoka Arrows announced a trio of minor-league pitching signings: RHP Melvin Medina, RHP Nobutoshi Oka, and RHP Masaji Hayashi. First two head to AAA Shinano, latter one to AA Hamamatsu.
* 3B Chris Purdy joins AAA Shinano on a minor league deal.
* At the turn of the new year, CF Yukichi Hayashi signed a 1 year, 325K deal to be the Arrows' backup CF. Given Tsuchiya's propensity for getting injured, it's good to have insurance.

2036 Opening Day Roster

Spring training has come and gone - now it's time to see what this overhauled Arrows team is capable of!

Pitchers
Rotation: RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto, RHP Alex Gallardo, RHP Atsunori Maeda, RHP Sachiko Hoshino, RHP Joe Rogers, RHP Eiji Hoshida
Bullpen: RHP Shuta Kurokawa, LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, LHP Rintaro Takashima, RHP Hisaji Sakaguchi, RHP Osami Higashi*, RHP Amane Koga*
Closer: RHP Yasunaga Suzuki (his 0.54 spring ERA means he's earned back the closer role)

Fielders
Catcher: Yasutoki Kato, Takekazu Nakamura
First Base: Tomosaburo Morioka, Masuho Aoyama (DH)*
Second Base: Keiichi Sugiyama, Tsuyoshi Taguchi
Third Base: Koji Kashima*, Ryouhei Tanaka
Shortshop: Yui Nakamura*, Tadasu Shimizu
Left Field: Luis Alejandrez, Shigejiro Matsunaga,
Center Field: Yukiichi Tsuchiya, Takatoshi Wakabayashi
Right Field: Shizue Uchino, Brad Chapman

No injuries to note at the start of the season.

Opening Day is March 28, as Shizuoka gets a Climax Series rematch against the Orix Buffaloes.

This dynasty inspired me to expand the *** in my OOTP game...thanks!

The Quiver - May 2, 2036
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

Okay, so the month ended on a bit of a sour note, as the team's lost 4 in a row, but the Shizuoka Arrows are 17-12 and very much in the playoff race. We led the PL until yesterday, even!

Congratulations to Atsunori Maeda, who has won both PL Pitcher of the Month AND Rookie of the Month, going 4-0 in April with 34 Ks and 1.67 ERA over 27 IP.

The starting rotation's been a bit wobbly beside from him, Matsumoto, and Gallardo, which was to be expected. We'll probably see Keitaro Onishi or Micah Bline come up from Shinano to take a spot and give Hoshino, Rogers, or Hoshida a break.

The offense started the season on file, but has faltered a bit lately. Tsuchiya and Alejandrez are both menaces on the basepaths, and are so fun to watch. That said, Koji Kashima has been such a big part of the winning month that he may be getting a long-term extension. Original Arrow Shizue Uchino may have to take a seat for Brad Chapman, looking at the stats.

It's too early to say the Arrows are going to win the PL at the end...but we did get predicted to go 90-53. Gonna be a fun ride!!

The Quiver - June 2, 2026
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

18-8 in May!...which happens to match the Chiba Lotte Marines, who the Arrows have been squabbling with for the PL lead. Losing to them 11-1 yesterday means they're a game ahead of Shizuoka heading into interleague. Still, the Arrows are 4 ahead of both Seibu and Orix, so there's hope.

Kudos are due to 3B Koji Kashima, winner of the PL Hitter of the Month award with a .268 average, 25 RBI and 10 HR. Worth the trade! RHP Atsunori Maeda won his second consecutive Rookie of the Month award too, going 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA over 5 starts. Welcome to the show, kiddo!

Other impressive performances performances from Luis Alejandrez and Masuho Aoyama, and a special nod to Tsuchiya and Sugiyama for their defense. Matsumoto threw a 17-K shutout earlier this month, so he's back to his usual self. Joe Rogers is struggling a bit with the strike zone, but even he's coming around. Sadly, Keitaro Onishi may have been rushed to the big club ahead of schedule, so we're still in need of a sixth starter if Hoshino doesn't rebound.

Oh, and we lost Amane Koga until late next season with a torn flexor tendon. Fun!

The Quiver - July 1, 2036
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

15-9 in interleague, one of the team's best results ever. Still didn't win the interleague title because Hiroshima went 17-7 to gain 7 games on the Yomiuri Giants. Had a rough end to the month with Yukiichi Tsuchiya heading to the IL for his shoulder strain. That said...we're now 2 up on Lotte for the PL pennant, and 7 ahead of Orix in 3rd.

Top reliever prospect Narihara Kimura got the call-up this month, and has acquitted himself well in his first 7 innings. It'll be fun to watch him mature. Also pleasant to see Sachiko Hoshino get off the schneid and get back to a winning record in the month.

Something's eating Tomosaburo Morioka, and I'm not sure how long it'll take to reset him. We may need to give Tsuyoshi Taguchi some playtime at 1B to cover for that. Keiichi Sugiyama continues to contribute better at 2B than he ever did at 3B, and Kashima...hommina. It'll be interesting to see if Luis Alejandrez can hang at CF until Tsuchiya returns.

And speaking of returning...if Tsuchiya going to opt out? If so, the Arrows are suddenly down a center fielder...but they can then extend Kashima. Hmmmm, tough calls.

EDIT: I only realized now that opt-out is for the 2037 season, not this one.

All-Stars
* RHP Alex Gallardo continues to lead this squad on and off the field, with a 9-4 record, 2.58 ERA, and 1.01 WHIP over 101 1/3 IP
* RHP Atsunori Maeda making the All-Star Game in his rookie season is no surprise; that he's doing it with an 11-3 record, 2.32 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP is a pleasant one.
* RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto has been let down a bit by gopher balls, explaining the 7-5 record and 3.57 ERA over 116 IP, but his 0.97 WHIP and 13.0 K/9 are impressive
* RHP Yasunaga Suzuki has returned to from from last season, with 23 saves and a 1.78 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 10.4 K/9 over 35 1/3 IP
* 1B/DH Mausho Aoyama has boomed his way into the All-Star Game, with a .309/.390/.500 slash line and 10 HRs so far
* 2B Keiichi Sugiyama has impressed at the keystone, slashing .209/.341/.377 and putting up 2.1 WAR; he's starting as a result
* 3B Koji Kashima starts and deservedly so - .269/.345/.537 with 24 HRs and 3.5 WAR
* OF Luis Alejandrez has been tearing the cover off the ball, slashing .341/.382/.466 with 40 stolen bases, good for 3.8 WAR
* CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya remains in a starting spot this year, slashing .234/.323/.381, stealing 36 bases and a 2.5 WAR

Future Stars
* RHP Chae-Bong Kim is still developing, but his 0.9 WAR in AA gets him a nod
* LHP Hiromitsu Nishi went straight to AAA out of the draft, and has gone 4-3 with a 1.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 7.7 K/9 over 61 2/3 IP
* RHP Fuyuhiko Yasuda has strugged in his first season in AAA, but still gets a nomination
* SS Nobuyoshi Ito is the first Arrow position player named here in a long while, but his -2.2 WAR in AA makes me question what the criteria are

The Shizuoka Volley - August 1, 2036
Arrows updates, fast and on target!

* An 11-6 July for Shizuoka, coupled with a 7-game losing streak for Chiba Lotte, means the Arrows are now 5.5 ahead of the Marines for the PL pennant! Good things are happening in this town.
* The Shizuoka Arrows acquired RHP Isamu Ochi at the deadline to add another strong arm into the best bullpen in the bigs, sending RHP Yoshiya Kobayashi to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in turn.
* RHP Atsunori Maeda picked up his third Rookie of the Month award, going 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA in the month.
* Maeda's 12 wins with two months to go already put him into 10th all-time for single-season wins. He needs two more to get into a tie for 3rd; Kikuo Aoki's 18-3 sophomore season remains the franchise high water mark
* What got into Kato's bat? He almost hit 400 for the month, and is suddenly riding a hot streak.
* Also good to see Brad Chapman doing well; ideally it's not at the expense of Shizue Uchino, but the last original Arrow is having a rough season
* After another rough month, Joe Rogers has to be worried about his position on the team, especially with LHP Micah Bline doing well in AAA Shinano.

The Volley - September 1, 2036
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

An 8-game win streak ended in a sweep against SoftBank, but the Arrows went 16-10 in August and now sit at 77-46, 6 games clear of Chiba Lotte and 6.5 ahead of Saitama Seibu for the PL pennant. The magic number is 15!

The batters who've been good have been REALLY good. Sugiyama has become a gold glover at 2B, and now his bat is coming along with. Brad Chapman slugging .771 is an eye-popper too. Pitching-wise, it's time for Sachiko Hoshino to call it a season and enjoy Nagano. LHP Rintaro Takashima is going to get some starts at last after a few strong years in the bullpen as a long reliever.

One impressive game towards the end of the month: RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto striking out 18 Spirit in a complete game effort that the Arrows won 8-1...and LF Luis Alejandrez clubbed five hits (2 doubles) in that same game!

Two of our old friends have decided to hang up the cleats this season as well - first RHP Ethan Smith, a key contributor to the two Japan Series championship teams, and the man that opened the window, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Worse still, after announcing his retirement, Yamamoto tore his UCL. The Hall will be calling, we hope.

The playoff drive is going to be interesting, as the Arrows have a relatively weak schedule compared to the other teams in playoff positions. Still...fingers crossed we get to pop the champagne soon.

EDIT:
ARROWS WIN PENNANT IN SLUGFEST SERIES AT SEIBU
The Shizuoka Arrows clinched the PL pennant for the first time since 2030 with a 7-3 win against the Saitama Seibu Lions at the MetLife Dome on Sunday, September 14. 3B Koji Kashima continued his MVP-type season with a 7th-inning grand slam to put the Arrows ahead 6-2. The Arrows won the prior two games 10-0 and 10-4. They will now be benching their remaining injury-prone players, having already lost RHP Alex Gallardo to an elbow strain for the postseason (LHP Micah Bline gets the call-up).

Quick update
The Shizuoka Arrows went 18-2 in September to plow all the way to a 95-48 record, tied for second best in team history. In particular, their 12-game winning streak to finish the season even included some regulars sitting.
3B Koji Kashima batting .354 with 8 HRs and 31 RBIs to win Batter of the Month. Kashima finishes the season with 40 HRs, most in his career by a mile.
RHP Atsumori Maeda won Pitcher of the Month AND Rookie of the Month again, courtesy of a 3-0 record in 4 starts, 1.37 ERA and 25 Ks over 26 1/3 IP. His 18-4 record ties Kikuo Aoki's 2030 for most wins by an Arrows starter.
OF Luis Alejandrez won the PL batting title with a .340 average, complete with 26 RBI, 98 runs, and 12 HRs.

2036 Climax Series Final Stage
The Saitama Seibu Lions needed all three games to get past the Chiba Lotte Marines in the First Stage, and now stares down the Shizuoka Arrows at Ito En Park. The Arrows went 11-6 against the Lions in the regular season, and the Lions are a sub-.500 team on the road.

The Arrows begin the series with a one-game head-start as pennant winners.

Game 1: Saitama Seibu 6, Shizuoka 4
If there's one knock against Arrows ace Shigejiro Matsumoto, it's giving up some runs. Two homers and seven hits tagged Matsumoto with 6 earned runs and a loss despite 12 strikeouts. Seibu RF Yasukazu Nakamoto hit both of them and added a walk for good measure, earning PotG honours.

Game 2: Shizuoka 7, Saitama Seibu 5
This time it was an Arrows outfielder who clubbed the big blow, as RF Luis Alejandrez hit a 2-run home run in the 7th to put the Arrows ahead 6-5. Only 3B Koji Kashima and 1B Tomosaburo Morioka failed to get a hit, and both still got on base against Nelson Soto and the Lions.

Game 3: Shizuoka 5, Saitama Seibu 3
9 hits seems like a lot, but if you scatter them over seven innings, not so much. Arrows starter Joe Rogers earned Player of the Game honours with his effort, allowing only 2 runs. Luis Alejandrez hit another 2-run shot, this time in the 3rd.

Game 4: Shizuoka 8, Saitama Seibu 4
This series should have gone to 5 games. The Lions were up 4-2 after 8.5 innings, putting 5 runs against Shizuoka starter Eiji Hoshida. Seibu starter Takumi Yamamoto left after one inning with an injury, but the bullpen was holding together. Closer Toshimitsu Hashimoto got two quick outs from 2B Keiichi Sugiyama and SS Yui Nakamura...but then the wheels fell off.
* CF Yukiichi Tsuchiiya hit a single after being down to his last strike.
* Hashimoto threw a wild pitch
* RF Luis Alejandrez clubbed a two-run home run in his third straight game to tie it
* 3B Koji Kashima reached on an error committed by Hashimoto
* PH Shizue Uchino walked
* DH Masuho Aoyama worked a walk on eight pitches
* PH Ryouhei Tanaka slugged a GRAND SLAM.
The Lions are going to curse this one, as they hit into FOUR double plays this game and ran into one.

RF Luis Alejandrez's .400/.455/.850 slash line earned him series MVP honours.

2036 Japan Series
It's the first time since 2032 for the Arrows in the JS. For the Carp, they haven't been back since they won it all in 2024. Arrows have home field since it's an even year.

Game 1: Shizuoka 5, Hiroshima 1
Now THAT is a bounceback game. Arrows starter Shigejiro Matsumoto pitched 7 strong innings, allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and a walk, striking out 12. The Arrows offense loaded up on platoon righties to face Carp leftie Yuko Yamamoto, but it was regulars who did the damage, like PotG C Yasutoki Kato with his two RBIs and one HR.

Game 2: Shizuoka 6, Hiroshima 1
Hard to tell who was the star of this game for Shizuoka - DH Masuho Aoyama who clubbed a pair of solo home runs, CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya for his 3-run jack in the 3rd, or starter Atsumori Maeda, who threw 8 innings of one-run ball, striking out eight. The Carp offense is getting stymied, but when the series moves to Hiroshima, all bets are off. The Carp are 49-22 at home...and the Arrows are 52-19 on the road.

Game 3: Hiroshima 4, Shizuoka 2
That's the downside to a groundballer like Arrows starter Joe Rogers - if all those hits come at once, it's bad news. Rogers allowed 4 runs in the 3rd on a trio of singles, and that was all the Carp needed. Hiroshima ace Hikaru Honda struck out 11 Shizuoka batters in 7 1/3 innings of work.

Game 4: Hiroshima 1, Shizuoka 0
The Carp slammed the door even harder in this one, with starter Motosugu Kinoshta and closer Ian Kahaloa combining on a 4-hitter shutout. Arrows CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya stole 3 bases, but no one came around to score in this one. Tie series.

Game 5: Shizuoka 7, Hiroshima 1
That said, the Carp rotation is known for being top-heavy, and with the top two guys spent, here comes the pain. 1B Tomosaburo Morioka and CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya both launched 2-run home runs in the middle innings, C Yasutoki Kato continued his ridiculous playoff performance with another home run, and spot starter Rintaro Takashima threw 6 innings of 1-run ball. And now the series returns to Shizuoka...

Game 6: Hiroshima 4, Shizuoka 3
The Hiroshima Carp came from behind to upend the Arrows and spoil the celebrations, with a 2-out passed ball scoring Carp DH Kota Hayashi in the top of the 6th to get to the final score. Hiroshima 3B Kodai Matsuoka earned PotG honours with his 3-for-4 line and RBI double to give the Carp the lead in the 5th. Matsumoto struck out 11 over 6 2/3 but gave up all 4 runs in the loss. Carp closer Ian Kahaloa with his 5th postseason save, and we're going to Game 7.

Game 7: Shizuoka 3, Hiroshima 2
No repeat of 2032 here. The Arrows are back on top and loving it. Shizuoka starter Atsumori Maeda went 7 strong innings, and closer Yasunaga Suzuki pitched a clean 2 innings with 4 Ks for the save. The Arrows got all their runs in the 3rd, as RF Luis Alejandrez hit an RBI double, 3B Koji Kashima cashed him with a single, and 1B Tomosaburo Morioka hit a single that scored Kashima thanks to an error from Carp RF Noriaki Kawakami.

Arrows catcher Yasutoki Kato and his ridiculous .545/.560/.818 slash line and 2 HRs over the 7-game series earned MVP honours. Kato has a history of being a playoff beast in the previous two title runs, but this was otherworldly.

As Yasunaga Suzuki struck out Hiroshima's shortstop Mitsuchika Koizumi, the bells rang out all over Shizuoka - this night and forever, the Arrows are champions.

2036 Season Review

No practice tomorrow.

Building a Champion - How the 2036 Arrows Came Together

Draft Picks
* LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, 3rd round in 2025
* LHP Narihira Kimura, 2nd round in 2032
* RHP Shuta Kurokawa, 2nd round in 2033
* RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto, 2nd round in 2031
* LF Shigejiro Matsunaga, 1st round, 16th overall in 2029
* 1B Tomosaburo Morioka, 1st round, 18th overall in 2031
* C Takekazu Nakamura, 6th round in 2027
* SS Yasuyuki Nakano, 8th round in 2030
* RHP Yuifumi Nishimura, 2nd round in 2029
* SS Tadasu Shimizu, 4th round in 2030
* RHP Yasunaga Suzuki, 2nd round in 2028
* 1B Tsuyoshi Taguchi, 5th round in 2026
* LHP Rintaro Takashima, 1st round, 14th overall in 2032
* RF Shizue Uchino, 1st round, 2nd overall in 2021 (he's STILL here!)

Free Agents
* RHP Alex Gallardo, 2034-35 offseason
* CF Yukichi Hayashi, 2035-36 offseason
* RHP Sachiko Hoshino, 2033-34 offseason
* RHP Amane Koga, 2035-36 offseason
* C Yasutoki Kato, 2028-29 offseason
* RHP Hisaji Sakaguchi, 2031-32 offseason
* 3B Ryouhei Tanaka, 2031-32 offseason

Trade
* DH Masuho Aoyama, from Hiroshima for LHP Kikuo Aoki and 1B Mamoru Fujimori
* RHP Eiji Hoshida, from Ehime Honda for RF Reizo Nishimoto, 3B Ryota Miyake, RHP Tetsuzo Kobayashi
* RHP Osami Higashi, from Niigata Komatsu for RHP Akira Yamane and 1B Katzumi Watanabe
* 3B Koji Kashima, from Okinawa Kirin for LHP Yoshimitsu Ota
* RHP Atsumori Maeda, from Yomiuri with RF Makio Komatsu and 2B Kikuma Miyata for 2B Masari Miyamoto and LF Matsuyo Sugiyama
* SS Yui Nakamura from Hiroshima for SS Yoshizo Masuda and LHP Masahiko Maruyama
* RHP Isamu Ochi, from Fukuoka SoftBank for RHP Yoshiya Kobayashi
* 2B Keiichi Sugiyama, from Yomiuri with 1B Katzumi Watanabe, 1B Mamoru Fujimori, RHP Yuto Kanakubo, and CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya for LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto, 1B Kikuo Kawamoto, 2B Taisei Murakami, RHP Yoshihide Yonamine, and RHP Yoshihiro Ito
* CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya, see Sugiyama

Acquisition
* RF Luis Alejandrez, from Road Warriors (ATL)
* LF Brad Chapman, from Kansas City T-Bones (AA)
* RHP Keitaro Onishi, from Kishu Rangers (KANDOK)
* RHP Joe Rogers, from Tupper Lake RiverPigs (EPBL)
* CF Takatoshi Wakabayashi, from Sumitomo Metal Kashima (BFJ)

2036-37 Offseason
* The Shizuoka Arrows had previously announced some uniform adjustments for their 15th anniversary, and made them public during the championship parade; lime green accents have been reintroduced to the road jersey, and the Shizuoka city logo has been added to the right shoulder.
* The Shizuoka Arrows have also announced that their first-ever number retirement ceremory will take place during Opening Weekend, honouring #18 for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Awards Season
* Catcher Yasutoki Kato, second baseman Keiichi Sugiyama, and shortstop Yui Nakamura were awarded Mitsui Golden Gloves for their efforts. Yes, that's eight straight for Kato.
* The Shizuoka Arrows had four members of the Best Nine squad this year, with Kato, Sugiyama, 3B Koji Kashima, and DH Masuho Aoyama all getting the award.
* The consensus Rookie of the Year was Arrows starter Atsumori Maeda, courtesy of his 18-4 record, 188 strikeouts in 171 2/3 IP, and 2.62 ERA. The kid is going to be a stud for years to come.
* Arrows manager Paul Paez took home Manager of the Year in his second year with the club.
* Three Shizuoka starters earned Sawamura votes - Shigejiro Matsumoto (2nd), Maeda (3rd), and Alex Gallardo (5th). Orix leftie Katzumi Morita picked up the win on the strength of his lower ERA and more innings pitched.
* Kashima (4th), Alejandrez (6th), Matsumoto (9th), LF Brad Chapman (10th), Maeda (12th) all got MVP votes, but it was Chiba Lotte left fielder Satoshi Teramoto with the unanimous MVP award. His 57 HRs paced the PL, making him the 4th player in *** history to pass Oh's old record (Balentien, Yamakawa, and Lions LF Shigeo Tanigawa preceded him).

Arbitration and Free Agency
* "Believe it or not, Shigejiro Matsumoto came to me with the contract structure. It was hard to say no, so we bargained and landed on this deal." That was Arrows GM tehsuigi explaining how Shizuoka's ace got inked to a 10-year, 30.725M contract extension. This buys out 5 arbitration years, gives Matsumoto an opt-out after year 6, and includes two team options.
* Also getting a longer-term contract extension is LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, inking a 4-year, 4.36M deal with an opt-out half-way through.
* The Orix Buffaloes acquired CF Takatoshi Wakabayashi and 3B Ryouhei Tanaka from the Shizuoka Arrows in exchange for RF Kazuhito Onishi.
* The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters acquired SS Tadasu Shimizu and RHP Sachiko Hoshino from the Shizuoka Arrows in exchange for 3B Mitsunobu Suzuki.
* The Hanshin Tigers traded CF Yoshihisa Fukuda to the Shizuoka Arrows for RF Yoshiaki Nishimura and RHP Yuifumi Nishimura.
* The following players have been declined arbitration and will become free agents: RHP Tsuyoshi Saito, RHP Osami Higashi, C Takakazu Nakamura, 1B Asakichi Kawada.
* The following players have left in free agency: CF Yukichi Hayashi, RHP Isamu Ochi.

2036 First Year Draft
The Japan Series champion Shizuoka Arrows are drafting last in the order.
1. Katsushi Sato, college RHP starter. I can't believe this kid fell to me. His pitches are already major-league grade, especially his changeup, and he could already start in AAA off the hop.
2. Takao Koike, high school LHP. Only three pitches and likely bullpen bound, but what he's got looks fantastic. Again, can't believe he fell to me.
3. Kinya Yamamoto, switch-hitting shortstop from high school. Could do well at either side of the keystone.
4. Shunzo Oshta, maybe the most talented catcher I've seen behind the dish. He'll make my pitchers look good. Same college as Sato too!
5. Masari Kikuchi, another shortstop, this one out of college. Probably a better fielder, but a worse bat.
6. Osamu Takeuchi, big bopper out of high school. Fielding is blah, but his bat is just line drive city and has a good personality makeup.
7. Masami Ogawa, switch-hitter RF from high school who also hits piss missiles.
8. Yoshimi Hirayama, college RHP reliever. If he can find the plate, he'll be an effective groundballer reliever.
9. Tetsuzo Muranaka, switch-hitter RF who probably fits better at CF.
10. Kenjiro Yamashta, second-baseman from high school. Lottery ticket.

Winter Meetings and After
* The Shizuoka Arrows added a new reliever in right-hander Etsuro Fukuda on a 1yr/290K deal. Last year for Niigata Komatsu, he made 24 starts with an 8.1 K/9 and 1.48 WHIP.
* Not too many other deals on the list for the Winter Meetings for major leaguers. The Arrows swapped around a bunch of minor leaguers.

KASHIMA EXTENDED IN SHIZUOKA
The common knowledge was that it wouldn't make sense to bring in Koji Kashima for just two seasons. And now it's official - he's staying long-term. The stud third baseman inked a 7-year, 34.3M extension to take him to his age-34 season. The last year of the seven is a team option.
Unfortunately, it's not entirely sure how the Arrows are going to be able to afford the addition - there may need to be some tough decisions around the corner for this small-payroll team. There's also the matter of their top batting prospect in Akitada Taira, who would otherwise be taking over Kashima's spot in the lineup. It will be interesting to see how GM tehsuigi squares this circle.

2037 Opening Day Roster
The Japan Series champion Shizuoka Arrows will be starting their season on the road at the Kyocera Dome, visiting the Orix Buffaloes as both teams honour Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Orix elected not to retire #18, but will treat it with high regard.

Pitchers
Rotation: RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto, RHP Atsunori Maeda, RHP Alex Gallardo, RHP Joe Rogers, RHP Eiji Hoshida, LHP Hiromitsu Nishi*
Bullpen: LHP Rintaro Takashima, RHP Shuta Kurokawa, LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, RHP Etsuro Fukuda*, RHP Hisaji Sakaguchi, LHP Narihira Kimura
Closer: RHP Yasunaga Suzuki

Fielders
Catcher: Yasutoki Kato, Noriyoshi Ito*
First Base: Tomosaburo Morioka, Masuho Aoyama (DH)
Second Base: Keiichi Sugiyama, Tsuyoshi Taguchi
Third Base: Koji Kashima, Mitsunobu Suzuki*
Shortshop: Yui Nakamura, Yasuyuki Nakano
Left Field: Brad Chapman, Takao Okamoto*,
Center Field: Yukiichi Tsuchiya, Shigejiro Matsunaga
Right Field: Luis Alejandrez, Shizue Uchino

RHP Keitaro Onishi strained his triceps in the last week of spring training and is on the DL as a result. RHP Amane Koga remains on the DL from last season's tendon tear.

The Quiver - May 1, 2037
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

So. uh. Good start to the season, gang!

After getting swept by Orix at the Kyocera Dome to start the season, the Arrows reeled off 10 wins in a row to grab a share of the PL lead, and went 10-5 the rest of April to get to 20-8, first in the PL by 3 games over the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Shizuoka #2 pitcher, Atsumori Maeda, picked up PL Pitcher of the Month with a 4-0 record, and a 1.27 ERA over 35 1/3 IP, notching 15 Ks. Rotation-mate and rookie leftie Hiromitsu Nishi picked up Rookie of the Month with his 2 wins, 3.04 ERA and .209 oAVG over 23 2/3 IP. With Alex Gallardo and Shuta Kurokawa both out for months, Nishi and other rookie Taju Kawada will need to pick up the slack. Can't rely on Matsumoto for EVERY start as much as we'd like to.

It's great to see Tomosaburo Morioka start getting his OPS up after a rough last season, joining Alejandrez, Kashima, and Sugiyama as true threats in this lineup. Wish we could say the same for Shizue Uchino and Masuho Aoyama, our pair of DHs. Someone has to win the job!

The Quiver - June 1, 2037
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

How do you follow up a 19-5 April? With a 19-8 May, of course! There was a 13-game win streak in the middle of the month that had the squad looking like world-beaters.

Part of that ingredients mix has been rookie LHP Hiromitsu Nishi, who picked up Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month honours again. His 4-0 record in 5 starts was good, but his 37/7 K/BB ratio in 31 2/3 IP was better.

The bats came alive thanks to great months from Shizue Uchino and temporary team captain Koji Kashima. Luis Alejandrez may be the best foreign batter to wear Shizuoka green since Malik Collymore.

On the mound, Yasunaga Suzuki's 3rd blown save of the season cost him the closer job (at least for now). Rintaro Takashima had not allowed an earned run through the first 15 innings of his season, and still has only yielded two since being given the 9th inning reins. He's supposed to join the rotation at some point, but I don't think the Arrows will mind if he becomes a mighty reliever.

Interleague starts tomorrow, and with the Buffaloes only 3.5 back of Shizuoka (Orix went 20-6 this month!!), it's still a risk that rim-rocks the team's pennant hopes. Wish the boys luck!

The Shizuoka Volley - July 1, 2037
Arrows Updates, Quick and On Target!

* The Shizuoka Arrows finished 2nd in the Interleague standings at 18-6, only one game back of the Orix Buffaloes.
* This also means the Buffaloes move a game closer to the Arrows in the PL pennant race.
* RHP Eiji Hoshida, a pending free agent, put together a 3-0 record in 4 starts,with a 0.58 ERA and 20 Ks over 31 IP. Good for PL Pitcher of the Month.
* LHP Hiromitsu Nishi picked up yet another Rookie of the Month award, 3-0 in 4 starts with 22 Ks in 25 1/3 IP.
* Injuries to CF Yukiichi Tsuchiya and LF Luis Alejandrez rattled the team a little, but they should be back shortly after resumption of play.
* Something's got to give for Shigejiro Matsumoto; his oAVG is miniscule, but the hits he does give are homers.
* It's good to see Takao Okamoto start to slug well in place of Masuho Aoyama.
* Going to be an interesting trade deadline for the Arrows...will Brad Chapman or Shizue Uchino be moved to clear out the outfield?